An investigation is under way after a spike in the number of newborn baby deaths in Scotland was recorded for the second time in six months. At least 18 babies under four weeks old died in March, a rate of 4.6 per 1,000 births.
Infant death rates vary widely from month to month, but the increase is larger than expected from chance alone. It comes after at least 21 babies under four weeks old died in September, a rate of 4.9 per 1,000 births. A preliminary investigation later found the spike was not linked to Covid.
The spikes in September and March are the first to be detected since monitoring of this nature began in July 2017. The average mortality rate among newborns is just over two per 1,000 births. While all child deaths are investigated, The Herald newspaper reported that this wider inquiry was triggered when the mortality rate passed an “upper control” threshold of 4.4 per 1,000 births.